


All That Really Matters.

by GemAuthor



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 11:20:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21014915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemAuthor/pseuds/GemAuthor
Summary: Little glimpse into Charity and Vanessa's last night on holiday.





	All That Really Matters.

Vanessa smiles as she hears Moses and Johnny squeal and laugh. They should have been asleep half an hour ago, but whenever Charity does bedtime, they always end up falling asleep a bit later than they should. Not that Vanessa minds all that much. Charity has a huge, childlike heart and imagination at times and it really comes out to play when she’s with the younger two boys. She chases them around the house whilst trying to get them into their night clothes. She goes over the top with her voices and actions during their bedtime story, but Vanessa can’t find it within herself to be mad at her when she’s probably, subconsciously, playing out the kind of bedtime routine she wished she had as a kid. Instead she had a drunken father who would more often than not be passed out before it was time for her to go to bed, leaving a small frightened child to do it herself. 

Vanessa has taken advantage of the long bedtime routine to set up the little living room in their luxury lodge in preparation for their last night. Chas called them this morning and said the pub is reopening tomorrow and in no uncertain terms was Charity to miss it. Vanessa is frustrated but Chas doesn’t even know the real reason for their unplanned break, so her request isn’t that unreasonable. It doesn’t mean Vanessa isn’t disappointed by the fact they’re having to cut their holiday short by a few days. 

She has loved every second of their little family holiday. She was anxious about leaving Tracy alone in the village with Kerry and Amy, but she should know by now that Tracy is more than capable of handling herself. She has even sorted herself out a little holiday by catching up with a friend who lives in Manchester. She has hardly seen Kerry and Amy either. Sounds like they are keeping themselves to themselves and she hopes it stays that way. 

Vanessa quickly walks into the kitchen, grabs the bottle of wine she has chilling in the fridge, before taking it back into the living room. She hopes the room doesn’t look too cheesy. She went out and brought some candles which are now alight and dotted around the small room, and she has put on some soft background music. She wants their last night to be special. She wants to show Charity just how much she appreciates everything she has done for her. Not just since her dad died, but ever since they got together. This perfect little holiday has just served to remind Vanessa of just how lucky she is to have Charity. 

“My god, babe, I didn’t think they were ever going to fall asleep,” she hears Charity say as she walks into the living room.

“They would go to sleep a lost faster if you didn’t get them all wound up,” Vanessa replies with no ounce of disapproval in her tone. They have this conversation every time Charity puts the boys to bed, and Vanessa is never really angry at how long it takes. 

“Excuse me! It isn’t my fault they love my story time voices. You just haven’t got the gift I have, babe.”

Vanessa rolls her eyes at smiles at her wife to be. “So you have said, many times before.”

Charity smirks. “And as I have……” She stops as she suddenly spots the candles and the wine. “What’s all this?”

Vanessa walks towards Charity and takes hold of both of her hands. “I wanted to do us something special for our last night. A thank you if you will for the perfect holiday.”

Charity gives Vanessa her rare, shy smile. “You don’t have to thank me, Vanessa. This holiday has been perfect because of all of us.”

Vanessa smiles and squeezes Charity’s hand. The holiday has been perfect. It would have been even more perfect had Noah and Sarah been able to make it, but neither wanted to have that much time of school during their GCSE years. Vanessa was both proud and slightly shocked. She normally had to force them both out of the house in the morning and onto the school bus. So, both of them choosing school over a holiday was a surprise, but according to Faith they haven’t been messing about and had gone to school and done their homework with no issues. Noah has said he expects a holiday next summer somewhere warm and abroad in return for his good behaviour, something both women promised him he could expect. 

Vanessa leads Charity over to the small plush sofa and gently urges her to sit down. She opens the bottle and pours them both a healthy sized glass of wine. They’ll only have the one. They have to set off at nine am tomorrow and the last thing either of them wants is to be slightly hungover whist stuck in a car with the kids for six hours.

Vanessa passes Charity her glass of wine and joins her fiancé on the sofa. Charity, as always, tucks her legs underneath her body and angles her body towards Vanessa. Vanessa takes a sip of her wine and places her right hand on Charity’s knee. 

“The holiday has been perfect. However, if you hadn’t come up with the idea and gone ahead and booked it I’d still be sat back home trying to restrain myself from attacking Kerry and Amy.”

Charity sighs. “You promise you’re not going to do that when we get home anyway?”

“I promise. Being away from them and being with you and the boys has helped me no end. It is still going to be hard, seeing them again, but I feel slightly calmer now.”

“Only slightly? Ness, this place cost me a small fortune. Far too much for you to be only slightly calmer,” Charity says with mock outrage making Vanessa laugh.

Vanessa looks around the living room and smiles. Charity wasn’t lying when she said she had booked them a luxury lodge. It is beautiful. In the perfect location, a beautiful little town in Cornwall that is full of loads of things for them and the boys to do. The weather has been crap for most of their time here but they’ve just embraced it and had a great time anyway. 

“Will moderately calmer do?”

Charity huffs and grabs the hand resting on her thigh, linking their fingers together. “I suppose it will have to.” Charity then gives her the sultry look that turns Vanessa on no end. “I think our time in the hot tub helped.”

Vanessa’s body heats up as she thinks back on their time in said hot tub. “Definitely.”

“Wasn’t as romantic as I had expected though. Not like in the movies.”

Vanessa throws her head back and laughs. “That’s the understatement of the year. Probably the worst way to have sex ever.”

Charity pouts. “It wasn’t that bad, once we really got started.”

Vanessa smiles. “True.”

Truth be told making love to Charity anywhere was amazing, but having sex in a hot tub took it to amazing mixed with slightly ridiculous. The first night they tried they both kept slipping off the little seats in the tub and after Charity declared she was sick of nearly drowning they quickly dried off and took it to the bedroom. The second time was going well until the jet shoots kept on tickling Vanessa’s feet and Charity said the giggling was giving her a complex and she couldn’t carry on. The third time they’d both had a bit too much to drink and neither could seem to coordinate their hands very well under the water and Charity was the one getting the giggles that time. And the fourth time Charity tried to add some sensual bubble bath not knowing that adding bubble bath to a hot tub is a big mistake. Within minutes the bubbles were out of control and they couldn’t see each other through the massive bubble cloud, let alone have sex. The fifth time they tried Charity shouted, “let’s just do it quick,” which isn’t the most romantic thing Vanessa’s ever had said to her, but it is just so Charity she just laughed and laughed until Charity quickly gave her a reason to stop. 

“But seriously, Charity, thank you.”

“Vanessa, you don’t have to—”

“I do. I know that being there for one another and supporting each other is what couples are supposed to do.”

“Which is exactly what you did during all the Bails stuff.”

“I know, and you thanked me then so please let me thank you.”

Charity blushes and Vanessa feels a surge of love shoot through her. Charity at times can be harsh, sassy, rude, selfish and hard faced. That is all just a protective front. Not many people know that but Vanessa does. Charity is also incredibly thoughtful, kind, sensitive, and has a heart bigger than anyone Vanessa knows. When she does do nice, kind, thoughtful things people always think she has an motive. Something she wants. But more often than not the real Charity is coming through. Charity though is used to the, ‘what do you want’, or ‘what are you up to,’ response to her kindness. So when she is thanked she often doesn’t know how to react. It breaks Vanessa’s heart as much as it warms it. 

“Go on then, tell me how wonderful I am,” Charity says accompanied by an eye roll. 

Vanessa ignores her sarcasm, another way she responds when she isn’t sure how to respond. “You are wonderful.” Vanessa places her glass on the table and takes Charity’s out of her hands and does the same with hers too. She then turns her body so she’s angled towards Charity, taking both of the other woman’s hands in hers and giving them a comforting squeeze. “You know these past few months have been rough. Dad dying, me blaming Tracy, me blaming dad, having no patience with the kids or you, falling out with Tracy, getting arrested for attacking the nurse and—”

“To be fair you only knocked her over. Major over reaction.”

Vanessa huffs impatiently. “Charity!”

“Right, sorry, just…..carry on.”

Vanessa rolls her eyes before carrying on, “As I was saying, I have been a hard work at times.” She places her finger over Charity’s mouth when she goes to speak again. “I have so don’t sit there and be all sweet and say I haven’t. Truth be told I have annoyed myself at times,”

Charity laughs beneath Vanessa’s finger. 

“But you have been there every step of the way. And yes I did that with you last year and it is what we are supposed to do, but I still wake-up every day grateful that I have you by my side because god knows I wouldn’t have been able to make it through a single day without you.”

“You’ll never have to,” Charity mummers, Vanessa’s finger still over her mouth. 

“I should hope not.” Vanessa lifts her left hand in the air. “I kind of hoped you planned on putting up with me forever when you put this ring on my finger.”

Charity kisses Vanessa’s finger before grasping her wrist and pulling her hand away from her mouth. “I did. Can I speak now?”

Vanessa laughs. “Go ahead.”

“I hated seeing you suffer in the way you have. But you haven’t been hard work, you have been grieving. There is a huge difference, babe. There is only one thing I ask.”

“What’s that?”

“You don’t hold it all in. It was two weeks after your dad died that you finally let me in. Don’t do that, Ness. I want to be there for you. I want you to let me in. When you’ve had a good day at work or something funny has happened you race home and tell me. I want you to do the same when things are bad. Even when they’re awful. Yes you can be strong for other people but you don’t have to be strong for me. I can be strong for the both of us. I will always have your back and I will always carry you when you need me to, just like you always do for me.”

Vanessa feels a surge of love so strong it makes her sob. She leans forward and catches Charity’s lips with her own. Charity responds fiercely, just like she always does. Their desire for each other gets stronger and stronger. Vanessa used to think it would surely get to the point where it would burn out but it hasn’t. Thank god it hasn’t. Charity tangles her hand in Vanessa’s hair and whimpers as Vanessa bites down on her bottom lip. Vanessa’s tongue slips inside Charity’s mouth, determined to draw more noises from her. Charity moans loudly and her grip on Vanessa’s hair tightens. She is so vocal, so passionate. Vanessa craves these moments where Charity completely lets herself go and lets the desire and love between them take over. Vanessa feels a fire crackling over her skin. She never knew intimacy could feel so good, not until Charity. Vanessa straddles Charity’s thighs and suddenly she is surrounded by scorching, soft heat. Charity’s breasts pressed against her own, her hands running a path up and down Vanessa’s back. 

Vanessa’s hips begin to roll against Vanessa and Charity makes a needy sound as her nails dig into Vanessa’s hips. She pulls away from their kiss and starts placing a series of hot kisses down Vanessa’s neck, biting at her pulse point when she reaches it. 

“Here?”

“Bed.”

Vanessa’s squeals as Charity stands up, holding Vanessa in her arms as if she weighs nothing. Her physical strength turns Vanessa on as much as her mental strength does. Vanessa wraps her legs around Charity’s waist and places a soft kiss on her lips.

“So strong,” she whispers, her voice full of love.

“I dunno, babe. I think I’ve put my back out.”

Vanessa throws her had back and laughs, loud and long. This is one of her favourite things about being with Charity. The laughter. Charity can draw a laugh out of her no matter what’s going on. Even when her body is thrumming with desire Charity can make her laugh like no one else ever has.

“Best get to the bed then so you can lie down and I can take a look at it.”

Charity smirks. “Smooth……kind of.”

Vanessa tuts and nips at Charity’s bottom lip again. “We aren’t all as smooth as you, Charity Dingle.”

Charity readjusts her hold on Vanessa, placing her left hand on Vanessa’s bum and giving it a squeeze. “Like I said earlier, gift of the gab, you either have it or you don’t.”

Before Vanessa can respond Charity is walking them through the living room door down the small hall towards their bedroom. She stops by the bed and urges Vanessa to lower her feet to the ground. Vanessa looks up at Charity and brushes her hair away from her forehead. Through the desire the love comes thick and fast. 

She gets to be with Charity for the rest of her life. The rest of her life. Sometimes she has to pinch herself to make sure she isn’t dreaming. 

“You’ve got that soppy look on your face. Soppy isn’t what I was hoping would be happening in here right now, babe.”

Vanessa gives Charity her best innocent, clueless look. “What did you hope would be happening?”

“Let me show you.”

Charity’s hands drop to Vanessa’s hips and she nudges Vanessa’s backwards until the back of her knees hit the bed. “Getting any hints yet?”

“Well, no, not really.”

Charity smirks before lowering her head at a painfully slow pace. Her eyes never leave Vanessa’s and Vanessa smiles at the playful spark she sees shinning in them. “Still nothing?”

Vanessa grips Charity’s upper arms and squeezes. “Nothing.”

Charity’s lips travel over her chin to Vanessa’s neck. She starts off gentle but soon Vanessa feels the sting of teeth. Her legs buckle and she feels Charity huff out a laugh. “Anything?”

Vanessa lets go of Charity’s arms and cups her face. “Kiss me, Charity. Just kiss me.”

Vanessa is expecting some kind of teasing remark, not a kiss so strong it nearly knocks her off her feet. In fact if Charity wasn’t holding her up she is pretty sure her legs would have given way underneath her. Their lips meet hungrily. Vanessa putting everything into each glide of her tongue. Charity pulls away and pulls her own top and bra off in one swift motion. Vanessa’s breath catches in her throat. It doesn’t matter how many times she sees Charity naked, the sight still takes her breath away. 

There’s so much skin. So much beautiful skin and she doesn’t waste another second before reaching out and pressing her hand against Charity’s stomach. She slides her hands up towards Charity’s breast, marvelling at the way Charity trembles in anticipation. She decides in that moment that this is going to be her show. She started this. She wanted to thank Charity for everything she has done. She is damn well going to make sure her fiancé knows just how much she loves her and how much she appreciates her. 

Vanessa dips her head and pulls a nipple deep into her mouth. 

“Jesus, Ness.”

She reaches down and unbuttons Charity’s jeans and yanks the zipper down before sliding her hand in side. The head that awaits her makes her moan as loud as Charity does at the small amount of contact. Suddenly they are moving and Vanessa finds her hand being pulled out of Charity’s trousers before she is falling backwards down onto the bed. Charity lets out a little laugh as she pushes her trousers and underwear down in one go. 

Vanessa leans up on her elbows and licks her lips and her eyes lazily trail up Charity’s body. “You are beautiful.”

Charity’s gaze softens. “You say that every time.”

“Because it is true,” Vanessa says as Charity makes quick work of Vanessa’s jeans and underwear. Once they’re off Vanessa sits up and removes her own top before unclasping her bra and flinging it across the room. 

Charity’s eyes darken. “You’re the beautiful one.”

Vanessa holds out her hands and Charity climbs next to her on the bed. Vanessa waits for her to lie down next to her before she rolls on top of her. Vanessa settles between Charity’s legs and slides her tongue over Charity’s left nipple before replacing her tongue with her entire mouth. Charity’s back arches upwards and she whimpers with each suck. 

Vanessa’s hands are everywhere. Gliding over Charity’s torso whilst Charity’s slide down Vanessa’s back to her backside, gripping Vanessa’s bum in her hands, giving it a rough squeeze and pulling Vanessa closer to her. 

Vanessa’s thigh settles against Charity’s heat and Charity, needing to soothe the pressure between her legs, rolls her hips as she seeks more contact. Vanessa moans and releases Charity’s nipple, resting her head between her lovers breasts. She lets Charity ride her thigh for a few minutes, meeting her thrust for thrust, before deciding to take back control. She wants to be the one who makes Charity lose it. She wants Charity to fall apart against her fingers and her mouth. 

Vanessa lifts her head from Charity’s chest and looks her in the eye. Her faced is flushed and the need for release is clear in her eyes. Vanessa pulls her thigh away and Charity whimpers. 

“Ness, babe, please, I neeed—”

Vanessa’s fingertips tease Charity’s clit before sliding into her warm, welcoming heat. Charity grips Vanessa’s bicep as her eyes close and she lets out a breathy, “Yes.”

Vanessa thrusts into Charity, slow and deep, as she watches her whimper even more. Those whimpers turn into moans as Vanessa’s thrusts get faster and she uses the palm of her hand to rub against Charity’s clit. She swallows Charity’s moans with a series of dirty kisses that are all teeth and tongue, moaning herself as Charity pinches her nipple with one hand and runs her nails down Vanessa’s back in a way Vanessa knows will leave marks. 

Marks she will carry with pride. Because this is her woman. Her love. Her best friend. Her soul mate and making Charity feel like she is on top of the world, and getting marked for doing so, is something she will always love. 

When Vanessa’s fingers curl inside her Charity loses herself. Her hips roll frantically, and she breaks away from their kiss to chant Vanessa’s name over and over again. Vanessa grasps Charity’s leg and pulls it upwards. Charity’s eyes roll back in her head as Vanessa slides in deeper. 

She is so close and Vanessa knows exactly what she needs. Vanessa, still thrusting hard and fast flicks Charity’s clit with her thumb as she whispers, “You feel so good. So fucking good, Charity. You are so hot. You feel so hot. Come for, Charity, come for me.” Charity’s eyes slam shut and her back arches as she out a silent scream as she comes undone underneath Vanessa. 

Vanessa places a series of kisses across Charity’s chest as she waits for her to come down from her incredible orgasm. And Vanessa isn’t bragging. She knows that was incredible. Minutes later she can still feel Charity twitching beneath her and she is still letting out little whimpers as the aftershocks work their way through her body. 

“Babe, give..”

“Yeah?”

“Babe, give me a minute, yeah….”

“What for?”

Charitylaughs. “You, you know what for.”

Vanessa has no idea what time it is but is has to be nearly midnight. They are both thoroughly exhausted and sated. They made love until they couldn’t no more. Vanessa smiles as Charity places a soft kiss on her breast. Not a sexual kiss, god knows they won’t be able to move if they start again, but a kiss of love. Charity’s head is resting on Vanessa’s left breast and Vanessa runs her fingers through Charity’s wavy hair as she lets out a content sigh. 

“You ok?”

Vanessa smiles and kisses Charity’s head. “Yeah.”

Charity moves her head so she’s looking up at Vanessa. “You ready to go home tomorrow?”

Vanessa nods. “I’m excited to see Tracy. I have missed her.”

Charity smiles. “Me too actually, she’s a good kid…..” She then frowns. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

Vanessa laughs and kisses Charity’s nose. “I won’t.”

Charity leans up on her elbow, her expression suddenly serious. “And no matter what happens with Kerry and Amy and where we all go from here, I am here for you, ok? I have you back.”

Tears spring into Vanessa’s eyes. “I know. I love you.”

Charity beams. “I love you too. And remember, if you need to get away or it gets too much just let me know. It doesn’t matter what is going on with anyone else, you are my priority, whatever you want, well that is what will happen, ok?”

Vanessa nods and kisses Charity. “Same goes for you. Knowing your family something will be kicking off soon. You too are my priority. You and the kids. Our family. That my priority. Sod the rest of them.”

Charity laughs and gives Vanessa a loud, playful kiss. “Sod the rest of them.” 

She rests her head back against Vanessa’s breast and Vanessa feels her let out a content sigh. “Next time I plan a surprise trip though, babe, make sure I book us somewhere hot, yeah?”

Vanessa smiles. “God yes. I can’t be doing with any more cold holidays.”

Charity huffs. “Ungrateful.”

Vanessa laughs and she feels Charity join in with her.She holds Charity tightly as the other woman quickly falls asleep. Within minutes the sound of her soft snores are filling the room. No matter what happens in the future, no matter what the world throws at them next, they will always have this. Always have each other and at the end of the day that is all that really matters. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :)


End file.
